Oh, Lady Be Good - Reprise (PDX Store/Regionals 1st Place)

Since I got into Netrunner, I have had a weird love affair with this runner. I think it's kinda one of those IDs you either love, or totally just don't get... When I opened Order and Chaos back then and saw MaxX's lank figure and masochistic special ability, I was hooked. I've played her religiously, and largely exclusively, ever since then.

This deck is the pinnacle of years of deck-building often scarily mediocre, sometimes blatantly crazy and dysfunctional and self-destructive decks. I'm really, really happy to say that what started as a "kitchen table Netrunner" deck with no Levy and no breaker other than Eater has evolved into a pretty dynamic deck. I'm perhaps just as happy to finally be able to say I created something truly viable, since this deck just took me to winning the 2019 PDX Regionals yesterday.

What makes this deck special isn't really the specific cards. Each have fairly clear functions. It's the ridiculously nuanced ways they can work together against almost any corp deck to wreak utter havoc, ways that often aren't immediately apparent (as an example, check out the notable game below an Argus rush-tag-kill deck from yesterday's Regional's tournament.)

Getting totally comfortable with these nuances isn't just a matter of maths and card interaction understanding, either... There's a bit of yomi involved in this deck, just like the PE shell game deck I used as my corp. Many of the plays absolutely require you to be fearless, and take huge risks, in often a seemingly reckless manner. Sometimes these plays destroy you... But often they bring you back from the brink, as well.

Knowing how and when and where to use all MaxX's tricks is really where the germ of this deck's effectiveness lies. I'm a firm believer that this deck can match up against almost anything. It's not perfect, but I'm pretty partial to it, it's all I've played for years now, and I'll stand behind it, in my own, insignificant way.

2019 PDX Regionals

This is, card for card, the exact same deck I used to win 1st place in one of this year's earlier store championships. I took it, unaltered, yesterday to the 2019 PDX Regionals as well, only losing once to a super-rush Argus deck that started an atlas train from the second turn, and was able to hide its agendas behind a barrier I couldn't scramble fast enough to break.

I had to replay the same Argus player I had lost to earlier in the top 4 cut... twice. The first game I almost lost. He'd ice on a remote, HQ, and RnD, but had left his Archives open. He had two atlas counters, tons of money, and 5 points. I also had 5 points, a handful of credits, and no way to stop him fast advancing out the end of the atlas train on his next turn. Installed, however, were 3 Same Old Thing's, and I had my last Amped Up in my grip, which was down to only 4 cards.

I knew I was going to lose anyway, if I played it safe, so tried a strategy I had never before done. I used my first two clicks to run HQ and RnD. I was hoping he'd just let me access the RnD server without rezzing, and he did, because he popped and atlas counter to take the last atlas. 3rd click I hit Archives.

Then I Amped Up for a brain damage, returning to 3 clicks, Same Old Thing'd the Amped Up, for another brain and netting 1 click, then repeated again, down to 3 brain damage and no cards in hand and 5 clicks.

My last SOT popped the Apocalypse in my heap, trashing his entire setup, leaving his HQ with the atlas exposed. He popped his last counter for Audacity, and I went in for my three 1-in-7 chance accesses. I stole a Global Food on my second to last click, winning the game.

Probably one of the most insane win's I've ever experienced.

Later, I had to play the Argus again, the 1st place resting on the result. This game I was able to hit really hard, keeping pressure up the entire time, occasionally eating the Hard-Hitting News tags, eventually locking out his remotes and waiting until I judged his HQ was flooding to Wanton Destruction half his hand into Archives, including the game winning agendas.

Deck Highlights

Accesses

This deck doesn't really have any large multi-access. You need to know where to go, and when. But it does have a really good knack for slipping into the cracks and disrupting the Corps' plans. Divide and Conquer and Glut Cipher can keep an otherwise well ICE'd Corp pretty messed up. Wanton Destruction is a simple card---when you draw it, play it next turn, using all your extra clicks. If you think it'll help, don't be afraid to Amped Up for it... It's worth it every time.

Econ

This is one of the richest runner decks I've played. It's very possible, if you feel it's necessary, to concentrate on money and end the game playing with between 30 and 50 credits... Try and trace that, NBN! Queen's gambit is just old-school MaxX, and I quite like it... Fills in the holes in Anarch economy pretty nicely.

As much as this deck likes to run, run, and run again, I've found that the 10 credit pump from Peace in our Time well outweighs the tempo loss and freebie to the corp. This, along with Liberated and Kati keep you well endowed the whole game, if you're judicious.

The reason there's so many econ cards is that you never know what'll get milled... And a poor MaxX usually equals an early death. Money is important, so I slot a bit extra.

Breakers

Corroder needs to be here because, try as I have, Levy is just too important for this deck. Trope palls in comparison. Hence, the Retreival Run's, SOTs, and Corroders.

Eater... I've just noticed that whenever I take it out for 'better' cards, I end up missing it and wishing I had a catch-all ai to force the corp to rez cards with... Also, you can totally wreak pandemonium on a corp early game with Eater and a few "if successful" events...

Apocalypse

This should be pretty self explanatory. I don't use it every game, I don't spam it. But, it can really save MaxX when she'd going up against the big-rig glacier corps like HB. This card may be used sporadically, but when it is it really pulls it's weight.

Conclusion

This deck can be super difficult to pilot. I have, over the years, tailored it very exclusively to my own tastes and preferences, and am pretty comfortable taking it to the table against anything. I know other runners that find it a confusing, unintelligible, kinda backwards-feeling deck... But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Certain metas might require some card changes, and certain matchups different playstyles. But in general I feel this deck is, as it stands, about the best it's ever been.

(If you're wondering about the name, it's in reference to a short story I wrote about MaxX's backstory and published with an earlier iteration of this deck, here. I have, in the past, published various versions of this deck, hence the 'reprise.')